Enhanced thermal stability of VCSEL array by thermoelectric analysis-based optimization of mesas distribution**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61434005, 61474118, 61376070, 11404326, and 11674314), the Jilin Provincial Scientific and Technological Development Program, China (Grant No. 20150203011GX), the Changchun Science and Technology Project, Jilin Province, China (Grant No. 15SS02), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association,

Abstract

The thermal stability of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) array is enhanced by redesigning the mesa arrangement. Based on a thermoelectric coupling three-dimensional (3D) finite-element model, an optimized VCSEL array is designed. The effects of this optimization are studied experimentally. Power density characteristics of VCSEL arrays with different mesa configuration are obtained under different thermal stress in which the optimized device shows improved performance. Optimized device also shows better stability from measured spectra and calculated thermal resistances. The experimental results prove that our simulation model and optimization is instructive for VCSEL array design.